Endorsements - Hillsborough 21 (Merrimack) - Granite Grok

Endorsements – Hillsborough 21 (Merrimack)

Steve picks his preferences for the NH House in Merrimack, (Hill Dist 21)The town of Merrimack (Hillsborough District 21) has been my home for 17 years.   And this year Merrimack (still) has eight house seats but ten Republican candidates running to fill them.   As a Conservative I feel compelled to select the eight who I feel will best represent the New Hampshire Republican Platform and the interest of my town and State as I view them.

So I’m no different than the rest of you, except that I may be paying a little bit more attention (maybe), I vote principle before party–though I will not bite off my own nose to spite my face, and my soap-box…well, it is just a little bit big bigger than that of the average voter.

So these are my personal endorsements for Hills-21, though I can assure you that my A-Team picks are all GranitGrok Worthy.

Before we begin, please keep in mind that this has nothing to do with personality.   I could care less if you are the nicest person in the world, whether you are my neighbor, my friend, even if you are related to me… if your political priorities run contrary to core conservative principles to a degree that I find dangerous to the town, state, or nation, I will look for someone else to support.    And if you are on the wrong side any of a very few key issues, and there is room to jettison you, then I have no problem kicking you off the island.

So who gets to stay and who do I think should go?  With ten candidates and eight seats there is not a lot of room to work with but I’ve got some thoughts none the less.

Here’s my A Team.

Lenette Peterson, Jeanine Notter, and newcomer Phil Straight.

These three candidates are solid Republicans and liberty minded Conservatives who will not back down to progressive pressure on either side of the aisle.  I think they can handle the left wing, public union powered noise machine-meme factory-and speech intimidation that can make a lot of Republicans ask to to be excused on the day of the vote.  Did I mention solid?   And they should be the top three votes among serious Republicans.

Next up are the reliable core, soft on a few votes but there for us 85% of the time or more.

This group includes Dick Barry, Dick Hinch, and Tony Pellegrino.  I’d like all three of these gentlemen to go back and read the party platform before they head back to Concord, just as a refresher, and maybe spend a bit more time perusing some Conservative blogs to keep them from sliding toward the establishment club, but I feel comfortable sending them back into the fight next session.

Joe Thomas is on the cusp in my opinion.   Just a few key votes away from being in that core of reliable Merrimack Republicans, but also a few votes away from heading in the wrong direction.  I’ll back Joe.  I think he can be counted on most of the time.  But I’d really like it if he would promise to spend more time  checking in with Conservative and Republican blogs and news to keep from sliding toward the establishment club and into RINO territory.  It doesn’t take much to get too comfortable being in Concord.  I don’t want reps who are comfortable.  I want them on their toes and sharp, ready to dodge the next pile of crap Democrats are brewing to throw their way.

Put more simply, if you are not on some Democrat list to get slammed, attacked, or protested, you’re not trying hard enough.  Democrats always tell you who is defending liberty and personal responsibility.   They can’t hide it.   They need you to know that these people are a threat to the expanding regulatory state and the taxes needed to fund it.  So if people or groups on the left are actually getting comfortable with you…that is a sign of danger.   Which brings me to Kathy Stroud.

Kathleen Stroud scares me.  While far and away better than any Democrat on seven out of ten votes, she is a high risk small ‘r’ Republican with a growing RINO pedigree, that puts her just a few votes away from falling off the cliff…with the full throated support of the SEIU.

Sorry Kathy but if you can’t disavow that endorsement and back away from it, this is the kiss of Death.  The SEIU is the force behind Obama and the progressive conquest of America.  The SEIU supports everything that a New Hampshire Republican should oppose and your acceptance–because let’s be honest you appear to be “all in” on the public union agenda,  regardless of any damage it might do to the Republican party, invalidates you for elected office as a member of the GOP.  Regardless of the damage it might do to freedom and most importantly individual liberty and state sovereignty, and this disqualifies you for any kind of serious consideration…as a Republican. (In my honest opinion.)

Would I take you over a Democrat who would actually accelerate government spending, abortion, let the feds step all over New Hampshire’s sovereignty, and individual liberty…yes; but by standing with the SEIU, you are supporting all of those things, and lucky for me….this year I don’t have to.

There are ten candidates for eight seats but the newcomers have not made themselves all that well known.  Tracy Alan Coyer has questionable union ties, no discoverable past that demonstrates any commitment to small government or personal freedom, and has avoided every survey or potential endorsement. Warning.

Daniel Oberlander looks much better but only becasue I had to sneak inside the sausage factory to learn that.  There was not a lot out there to look at.  But Oberlander came out of my investigation with some very positive results.   Not awesome but positive.  And he sounds like he may be a quiet but vigilant defender of the Republican platform or at least enough of it.

So who is Steve Mac Donald voting for on the September 11th Republican Primary in Merrimack (Hillsborough District 21)?

Peterson, Notter, Straight, Barry, Hinch, Pellegrino, Oberlander, and Thomas.

 

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